How Do Celebrities All Seem to Have Great Hair?

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

What’s more common amongst celebrities? Propecia/rogaine usage, authentic looking wigs, or hair transplantation?

It’s ridiculous the amount of celebrities who have great hair. Is it more than a coincidence that rock bands with like 6 male members all keep full heads of hair in to their 50s and beyond?

Also – if I needed more donor hair for a transplant to ensure added thickness, could you transplant hair from a close family member with similar hair to mine?

EltonCelebrities are just people like you and me, and they have what you and I have, nothing more and nothing less… other than $$$. Some will opt for hairpieces/wigs, which can be expensive to maintain. Some will opt for hair transplants, which are permanent. Others will opt for medication, or a combination of surgery/meds. I have no way to know which method is most common amongst celebrities, but I do know that I’ve transplanted many.

Hair doesn’t give you talent, but it could likely provide confidence in your appearance… which may translate to confidence in your musical performance. If there’s a rock band that’s been around for decades and all of the members still have hair, it would be coincidence (or perhaps they’re wearing wigs). There are plenty of musicians with hair loss or a completely bald head — Rob Halford, Chris Daughtry, Michael Stipe, etc. And there are also musicians that are known to have had work done, such as Elton John.

Finally, at this point hair transplants can only be from oneself, not from anyone else. Since hair is an organ, transplanting from another person (unless it is an identical twin) would result in the body rejecting the hair unless potentially dangerous anti-rejection medication is taken. I’ve written about that before here.

Tags: hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss, celebrities, famous

Neogenic?

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

I have a question I am surprised not to have seen answered yet.

What are your thoughts on the recently-release Vichy Neogenic product? It is making some fairly impressive claims. Thanks.

L'OrealFrench cosmetics giant L’Oreal is well known for its hair color products, so maybe their marketing clout means more than I can ascertain from the non-scientific material I’ve seen announcing the Neogenic product (see here). I haven’t read any peer-reviewed studies that would convince me the claims are factual, nor would I suggest that this is the hair loss cure we’ve all been waiting for. But they say this is the evolution of their Aminexil hair loss treatment, for what it’s worth.

If the consumer believes the claims are true, then in the free economy it is the consumer’s choice to try the product. Until I can see more, I’ll just remind everyone that my motto has always been buyer beware.

Tags: loreal, hairloss, hair loss, neogenic

In the News – Marina and The Diamonds Singer’s Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Snippet from the article:

SINGER Marina Lambrini Diamandis has worn a wig for the last nine months after all her hair fell out.

The Marina and the Diamonds star’s luscious locks snapped off during a nightmare trip to a Los Angeles hairdresser last November.

And speaking exclusively to The Sun, 26-year-old Marina confesses she kept the accident a secret and has hid the bald truth under a wig ever since.

MarinaRead the rest — Marina and the Diamonds star’s hairloss hell

Although I’ve never heard of this artist or her band, she has admitted to experiencing hair loss due to what seems like chemical damage, causing her to wear a wig for almost a year. I am sure there are plenty of others in the public eye that have similar experiences, but don’t make it known. Then again, the article says the band has a new music video and single coming out soon, so this could just be a way to grab some headlines. It worked.

Tags: singer, musician, hairloss, hair loss

If I Stop Using the Laser Comb, Will I Lose Any Hair?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Hi there doctor. I’ve had two transplants now, and after my second one I believe I may have been duped in that my doctor heavily recommended me using a laser comb. I’ve used it for almost two years without seeing any positive results at all (if only I had found this site sooner.) My question is if I stop using it, will I lose any of my current hair? Is it actually helpful in stabilizing one’s current hairline? Thanks for your time.

Since I personally do not believe the Laser Comb works for treating hair loss, I would not think there would be any positives or negatives associated with stopping its use… aside from the extra time you save everyday to do other things.

Tags: lasercomb, lllt, hairloss, hair loss

My Fiance Had No Side Effects While Taking Propecia, But His Genitals Shrank After He Stopped

/by William Rassman, M.D./10 /

This was a comment we recently received on an older Propecia post:


DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! My fiance took it for years, with no side effects (although we are realizing now that the emotional/mental trauma he has been suffering since he took the drug is very likely related) – but once he quit the drug he experienced genital shrinkage, low libido, trouble maintaining erections, etc.

Some studies have shown that ~95 % OF MEN SUFFER these side-effects to some capacity – no long-term side-effects were studied by Merck and what makes it tricky, is that RIGHT AFTER you stop taking the drug, you go back to normal for a few days/weeks – then, the symptoms worsen!! Stay away!

Genital shrinking after stopping Propecia is a new complaint, something I have never heard before. What you are saying is just not enough information for me. Of note, where are you getting this “95%” statistic of men suffering from this issue? It sounds like you’re confusing stats.

If I were to entertain this possibility, I would need to know the following bits of information: for example, are you talking about his penis or testicles that shrunk? Or are you talking about the size of his erection? He would need to see a doctor and find out:

  1. What his testosterone levels are
  2. What his sperm count is

He would need to get examined by a competent urologist. That is a start if he is really worried.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, genitals

My Scalp Is Dry, Itchy, and Flaking — Now My Hair Is Falling Out In This Area!

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Hi, I am a female in my 30’s and have a dry scalp and itch alone with some flaking or scaling? I am sending to photo (its OK to share these) and am hoping you can tell me what the problem is. My hair is falling out easy in this area and it is in the front! I have been putting oil on it to get moisture and have also been to the derm but they are unsure why this is helping to me. Please help!

 

This is not reasonable. You showed a picture of a flake of dried skin on your scalp under high power, but there’s just no way one could expect that the photo would have any meaning to me. You really need to have an examination of your scalp. If your dermatologist was unsure why you have flaking on your scalp, you should find another dermatologist.

Your thinning could be from a variety of possibilities too numerous for me to just start throwing guesses out there. It could be something as simple as you causing traction alopecia from scratching vigorously on the itchy part. I don’t know though.

Tags: flaking, scaling, itch, hairloss, hair loss

Minoxidil and Collagen?

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

Hi Dr. Rassman, great blog.

I was wondering, whats your view on the effects of Minoxidil on collagen?

Iv heard a few reports of people experiencing bad skin and increased wrinkles on the face when using Rogain, also there is a paper out which shows Minoxidil does inhibit collagen production.

Thanks

I personally do not believe applying a topical medication on your scalp will cause wrinkles on the face, but we’ve written about this before here. What paper are you referring to? The one I’m aware of is relating to rats, not humans.

If you are concerned about such side effects, speak to your doctor and know that you have a choice to use or not use the product.

Tags: collagen, minoxidil, rogaine, hairloss, hair loss

In the News – Woman with Trichotillomania Pretended to Have Alopecia Areata

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, ,

Snippet from the article:

A mum who has hidden behind the hair loss condition alopecia for the last 20 years has bravely revealed a secret compulsion to tear out her own hair that has tormented her since she was a child.

Zena Williams was called ‘cancer face’ for wearing a wig at school and for more than two decades she has allowed anyone who noticed her bald patches to believe that she has the auto immune condition that causes her hair to fall out on its own. But in the wake of No Pulling Week, the mum-of-one has finally revealed that she has been pulling out her own hair since she was a child.

At various stages in her life, Zena has been left almost completely bald by her compulsive addiction to hair-pulling – a little understood psychological condition called trichotillomania.

Read the rest — Mum pretended to have alopecia for 20 years – in fact she was pulling all her hair out

Unfortunately, decades of pulling out her hair probably has resulted in some permanent loss. She says she has stopped pulling out her scalp hair, but still pulls out arm and leg hair. Hopefully she gets some sort of treatment for this compulsion.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, ttm, trichotillomania, hair pulling

Hair Growth Results from LLLT on The Drs TV Show (with Video)

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Dr Rassman
I see that they are growing hair from laser. Is this laser different than what you have used in the past? These results are from the The Drs show in tv.I f you look at the women in the audience she had great results.

YouTube video

I’ve embedded the video here:

The results in the video look good, but they are not my experience. I had the identical low level light laser (Revage) about 5 years ago in my office. It was given to me free of charge in hopes that I would endorse the product. To find out if it worked, I offered laser treatments to all of my patients for free for up to a year. Not too many people came in to try it, but of those who did, I have before and after pictures taken.

The doctor in the video above says it could be up to $5000 per year for these laser treatments (and trips to the office a few times a week), but if you’re seeing results and have no other options, I suppose that could be worth the trouble. But if you end up seeing no or very minor results, that wouldn’t be surprising to me. During my yearlong try out on patients, I was not impressed that the patients experienced any impact on their hair, except from the hair transplants they got from me.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, laser, lllt

Herbal H

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Hi Doctor,

Was wondering if you have heard anything whatsoever about this product called “Herbal H” for hair loss, I came across it a few days ago. I am attaching a link to their website; herbal-h.com

They have minoxidil listed as an ingredient which is obviously FDA approved. But I wanted to know if you have any information regarding the other listed ingredients or the product itself, for hair loss.

Thanks you.

This seems to basically be just 3% minoxidil with supplements in it (iron, saw palmetto, zinc, copper, angelica, and other things I’m not familiar with). There are a variety of products out there that contain minoxidil with other supplements, and I don’t know that one is any better than the other.

So the only thing I can really say is that topical minoxidil does grow hair, but the strength of minoxidil that is recommended for men is usually 5%.

Tags: minoxidil, herbal h, herbal

My 15 Year Old Daughter is Losing Hair — What Can Be Done?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, ,

My 15 yr old daughter’s hair has been thinning & it’s heartbreaking to watch her go through this. This has been going on slowly but surely for a few yrs & is almost certainly hereditary. Thyroid tests are normal, and, most tellingly, her maternal grandmother has lost most of her hair. Can Rogaine be prescribed for someone so young?

I would think you need to start with medical exam and a good working diagnosis for the cause of the hair loss. Your daughter needs to see a physician who can help and who is knowledgeably about various medical conditions, as hair loss in 15 year old girls generally reflects that something may be going on in her body.

Rogaine (minoxidil) is not recommended for women under 18 years old.

Tags: rogaine, minoxidil, teenager, female hair loss, hairloss, hair loss

Is My Hair Loss Related to Stopping My Cocaine Use?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Hi Doc

I have recently stopped a heavy cocaine habit. I started using cocaine 6 years ago intermittently but over the last year I was using every day. I have now stopped and been clean for 60 days. I want to remain clean for rest of my the (life is so much better) but I have noticed excessive shedding and my hair being a lot thinner and lighter. I have been using propecia for 6 years as well. Will this shedding stop and regrowth occur. Is it normal for increased shedding and thinning to occur After stopping a class A drug?

I am not sure how cocaine (or stopping of cocaine) would be related to your hair loss issue. I would speak to your doctor and try to obtain a good diagnosis. Maybe you have other underlying medical issues causing hair loss or maybe you have genetic alopecia that you have not noticed until now.

Tags: drugs, cocaine, hairloss, hair loss

My Hair Is Now Growing Slowly All Over My Head and Body (with Photos)

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Hello Dr.
I would like to know what class do I fall in the Norwood scale? My hair started growing slowly and thinning at 19 and not only on my head, but also my hair all over my body – arms, legs, eyebrows, etc. Is this normal? I am now 21.

please post your answer on your site or email thank you

Thanks for allowing us to post your photos. Click them to enlarge.

 

Norwood 6You probably do not need a medical degree to look at the Norwood scale and see what your hairline looks like. You can see that your thinning seems to parallel the Norwood class 6 pattern. That suggests that if you continue to let it go, you could lose all of the hair in the thinning area… which would be a shame, as it may be treatable with medication. My opinion is just based on looking at a few photos (and not knowing anything about your medical history or family history), so you’ll want to have it double checked by a physician in person.

The analytical part comes from looking at your hair under a microscope to see if there are patterns of miniaturization or difference in bulk (which I cannot do with photos). At 21 years old, you should be concerned enough to see a good doctor and not look for a quick answer over the internet.

As for your body hair loss, this is not normally related to scalp hair loss, but it is something that you should have looked at if you’re concerned.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss

Female Hair Loss Has Continued For Months After Stopping Tramadol

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /

(female)
I stopped taking Tramadol about 3-4 months ago but my hair is still falling out. My doctor had labs for my thyroid and it is fine.

I am losing less hair but still more than normal. How long should this last?

I do not know why you would think Tramadol would be the cause of your hair loss. We’ve written about this before. There can be other medical factors, and since you are under the care of a physician, that is a good place to start. Otherwise, female hair loss in general is a frustrating case for both patient and physician since there is no specific treatment if all the medical issues have been ruled out.

If it is genetic, the only medication available for women is topical minoxidil (Rogaine). Many women suffer from thinning hair / hair loss due to age and hormonal changes associated with menopause. I don’t know enough about you to rule anything out, though.

Tags: tramadol, hairloss, hair loss, female hair loss

If I Just Have a Receding Hairline, Is 1mg Finasteride Too Much?

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

Hey I wrote to you before about low/watery sperm volume when it comes to propecia. I just wanted to ask: could a side effect like this occur earlier if I’m only suffering from a receding hairline. Could 1mg of propecia be too much for a patient with only a receding hairline & thickness of hair everywhere else on the head? Should I think about lowering my dosage and try it out?

If you just have a receding hairline, it’s unlikely that Propecia will regrow the hair there, though it could keep further loss at bay. Watery ejaculate isn’t specific to those with just hairline recession, nor do I believe that the speed at which it might occur is related to the degree of loss.

You’ll need to talk to your prescribing doctor about dosage changes. I don’t know anything about you and you’re not my patient, so I can’t tell you how much or if you should be taking a prescription medication.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, hairline, hairloss, hair loss